NC State - First Final 4 in 41 years
Alabama - First Final 4 ever
Purdue - First Final 4 in 44 years
Last year San Diego State, FAU, and Miami (FL) all made their first Final 4 appearances ever.
Like I said earlier there's plenty of parity in college basketball. If you're a small(ish) school looking to make your mark in college athletics the ROI is much more appealing in basketball than in football (or any other sport for that matter).